Original Seats

[Dave Osborn]

Leanne,
I know your feeling about wanting exacting restoration, but it is your canoe and you can make it however you want. It is not particularly rare or a museum piece. Do what makes sense to you.
I have seen a couple of other battened seats and seemed to recall that they appeared to have pulled the machine woven cane away from the frame.
I could be wrong, but I think most Shell Lake canoes had hand woven cane. As I recall, you only have one seat.....It may or may not be original....some canoes didn't have seats from the factory (mostly Boy Scout or camp canoes), so you can't be sure if it is original or not.
Hand caned seats are beautiful, and probably more resilient than pre-woven pinched between battens.
Give me a few days to get to my storage unit to photograph and measure what I know as original seats on a SL canoe.

Did you ever contact the Washburn County Historical folks to get a build year?

 

[Goldenbadger]

It was built in 1942

 

[Dan Lindberg]

Leanne,

I agree with Dave, do whatever you want to with it, it's your canoe and no offense but it is a Shell Lake, and not rare or a museum piece. If it were mine, I'd be drilling holes.

The one I had, I have no idea it's age, but it was older than another I had. The older one was like 17.5 ft, and newer an even 18.

I attached a few pics of the old SL.

Dan

 

[Goldenbadger]

I realize it's only a Shell Lake. But it's history and the sentimental value make it priceless to me. You're right, it's not a rare museum piece. But I still want to do it right.

 

[rpg51]

I realize it's only a Shell Lake. But it's history and the sentimental value make it priceless to me. You're right, it's not a rare museum piece. But I still want to do it right.

I completely understand this sentiment. You don't need and did not seek advice about the monetary value of your canoe. Keep at it!

 

[Dan Lindberg]

We are not talking about the "monetary value" of this canoe,
we are talking about what the definition of what "want to do it right" is for this canoe.

In this case, whether she reuses the cleats to fasten machine cane or drills holes and hand weaves the cane, it really doesn't matter, these canoes came both ways from Shell Lake.

Dan

 

[Goldenbadger]

To make it more interesting, I have seen Shell Lake canoes possibly from this same period with wood seats - no cane or canvas. But that doesn't seem very comfortable. I think I'll be either drilling holes and weaving, or building entirely new seats and weaving. Either way, I think it will turn out to be pretty nice.

 

[Dan Lindberg]

Leanne,

If you decide to build new seats, consider putting new cane in the existing frames just so you can get it wet.
It would only take a short time to put in cane in with the cleats.

Dan

 

[Goldenbadger]

It will be a while before she's seaworthy. There's a lot to be done to her before I can think about getting her on the water.